Ayrshire Scotland Business News is provided by the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire. We publicise our members, and celebrate and report the wealth and rich diversity of entrepreneurial and business excellence that abounds here in Ayrshire, south-west Scotland. For further information e-mail Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

The Elite Ayrshire Business Circle

Thursday, 26 June 2008

Ayrshire wind farm projects given Scottish Government approval

By: Murdoch MacDonald

SCOTLAND’S green energy strategy has taken another step forward with Scottish Government approval for two wind farms in South Ayrshire capable of generating electricity for 117,000 homes.

The 60 turbine, 180 Megawatt (MW) Arecleoch wind farm near Barrhill in South Ayrshire - set to be Scotland's fourth largest - will generate enough electricity for 76,000 homes.

The 28 turbine, 84 MW Mark Hill wind farm also in South Ayrshire will generate electricity for 41,000 homes.

These projects will make a significant contribution to the Scottish Government’s target of 31 per cent of electricity from renewables by 2011.

Energy Minister Jim Mather (pictured above) said: “The Scottish Government's approval for two more wind farms is a significant step in our drive to turn Scotland into the green energy capital of Europe.

“Scotland has a vast array of potentially cheap, renewable energy sources, from our waters, our waves and our wind. And we are turning that potential into a reality with a progressive and distinct approach to make renewables a driver of sustainable economic growth.

“Our ambitious renewables targets set the right strategy for Scotland, but we can’t stop here. We are committed to meeting the EU target of 20 per cent of all energy demand coming from renewables by 2020. Coupled with the opportunities from the need to tackle climate change, we are investing in making Scotland the natural home for a thriving and diverse renewables industry.”

The Scottish Government has set a target to produce 31 per cent of electricity demand from renewable sources by 2011, and 50 per cent by 2020.

Any proposal to construct, extend or operate an onshore wind farm in Scotland with a generation capacity in excess of 50 MW requires the consent of Scottish Ministers under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989.

Current installed renewables capacity is 2.8 Gigawatts (GW). One GW of renewable capacity is currently under construction. Current renewable applications to Ministers under section 36 of the Electricity Act amount to 3.3 GW, which, in line with processes for environmental assessment, public consultation and where appropriate public local inquiry, are all at various stages of the consents process and still to be determined.

The Energy Consents Unit has also provided pre-application scoping opinions for a further 1.7 GW of potential renewable development.

Sixteen energy projects have now been determined by this Scottish Government. This includes consent for Scotland’s second largest wind farm in Dumfries and Galloway, and Scotland's third largest wind farm in Perthshire.

In Scotland between 2005 and 2006:

* Electricity generated by renewable sources (apart from hydro natural flow) increased by 46 per cent.* In 2006, Scotland could have supplied 92.5 per cent of its electricity needs from non-nuclear sources.* As a result of unplanned outages, nuclear’s share of generation fell from 38 per cent to 26 per cent in Scotland.

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THE EDITORThe Editor of Ayrshire Scotland Business News is Murdoch MacDonald, a graduate of Magdalene College, Cambridge University, where his journalistic contemporaries included John Simpson, now World Affairs Editor with the BBC, and Alan Rusbridger, Editor of the Guardian. Murdoch MacDonald has been in the public relations industry and a freelance journalist and broadcaster for more than 35 years.He has handled the PR accounts of many top Scottish companies, including Royal Bank of Scotland, Standard Life, John Menzies, Kwik-Fit and Barratt Homes.

He has hosted his own family finance programmes - "£s, Pence and Sense" on Radio Forth and "Moneywise" on Scottish Television.He now runs Ayrshire’s top PR consultancy Fame Publicity Services.

Wherever you are in the world, no other public relations consultancy, PR firm or publicity company can offer you a better or more cost-effective worldwide news distribution service, combined with search engine optimisation techniques that will drive customers and qualified sales leads to your company's website.

Murdoch MacDonald is also managing director of the Elite Ayrshire Business Circle, an association of some of the top companies in Ayrshire.Telephone: 01292 281498E-mail: Murdoch@eliteayrshire.com

Murdoch and his wife Lilian (pictured above) have written a book called "Phoenix in a Bottle", describing how they overcame alcoholism and are now, contrary to conventional wisdom, able to drink alcohol responsibly again. "Phoenix in a Bottle" is published by Melrose Books price £16.99 and is now available worldwide.Reviewing the book, eminent American addiction expert Dr Stanton Peele PhD commented:

“Phoenix in a Bottle is a modern version of The Days of Wine and Roses, and tells the true story of how two people who entered a period of desperate drinking stayed with one another in a close loving relationship, and emerged from their alcoholism able to drink responsibly again.

“Both a wonderful love story and a challenge to conventional wisdom about how people can recover from drinking problems, Phoenix in a Bottle gives people hope, and helps them to confront their own demons - alcohol or otherwise.”

And now "Phoenix in a Bottle" has been selected as a set text by a top American university.

“Phoenix in a Bottle” by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald will now be required reading for all doctoral students in a psychology programme at Alliant International University in San Diego, California.

Alliant International University, headquartered in San Diego and San Francisco, California, was formed in 2001 by the merger of the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) and the United States International University. Alliant has 6 campuses throughout California and also runs programmes in Mexico City, Hong Kong and Tokyo. The California School of Professional Psychology at Alliant is one of the premier psychology schools in the US, and it counts roughly half the licensed clinical psychologists in California as its alumni.

Dr. Gary W. Lawson is Professor of Psychology at CSPP. He says: “I adopted Phoenix in a Bottle because the dilemma this couple struggled with and the questions they ask themselves are like so many others I have encountered in 35 years of clinical experience treating addictions.“However, nowhere in addiction literature have I seen these issues examined and explained as well as Lilian and Murdoch do in Phoenix in a Bottle.“I also recommend Phoenix in a Bottle to many of my patients as well.”

You can buy "Phoenix in a Bottle" by Lilian and Murdoch MacDonald online now direct from Amazon UK (click on book cover image below).